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My #BestMedicine: New Beginnings Can Be Found Both at Home and Abroad

by Evan Wade

Second chances. Fresh starts. New beginnings. There’s a reason terms like these come with positive connotations. For those of us dealing with a protracted down period, a new start may seem like a surefire way to find the happiness we’ve been searching for.

Sometimes, external factors can make this assumption true. If you’re dealing with a toxic relationship, a stressful job, or some other issue tied to a geographical location, a change of address/locale/zip code can make all the difference.

Other times, however, the problems are more internal in nature. When that happens, switching living spaces isn’t likely to fix the issues we deal with, and that can make it even more disappointing when the problems rear their ugly heads again.

Big Problems, Big Changes

To be clear, the point here isn’t to knock the power of new beginnings or discredit those who’ve seen positive change from seeking them. It can, does, and will continue to help people in certain situations.

Instead, it’s to suggest that making a move isn’t necessarily the be-all, end-all fix many of us need. In fact, the changes we need to make can often be made gradually — and right where we are now.

I’m old enough to have moved several times and for a lot of different reasons. When I moved to get away from noisy neighbors — a problem that had become big enough to have a serious impact on my stress levels and general happiness — the change brought the best kind of new beginnings: a space I could work and relax in without thumping bass and screaming children outside my window.

In other instances, I’ve switched locations to overcome that “stale” feeling, a problem that can be especially pressing to those of us suffering from depression. But while the excitement of having a new place is always a nice boost at first, I’ve found that the same old malaise keeps coming back.

New Beginnings Are Found Everywhere

For me, the key to escaping my frequent funks has nothing to do with moving; instead, I’ve found that keeping myself busy by picking up new hobbies and skills was exactly what I needed to keep the doldrums away.

For some, that secret may lie in writing daily task lists to stay motivated and on point. For others, daily walks, new creative endeavors, or something as routine as ten minutes of housecleaning a day may be what fosters a needed change.

The point is, starting with the biggest possible change isn’t necessarily the best first step. If you like the space you’re in well enough — but not the way you’re living in it — try addressing the latter first. Generally speaking, this strategy is less stressful, more effective, and far less expensive than packing it all up in a desperate search for new beginnings.

Does forging a new start sound like it could be your #bestmedicine? Share your thoughts on Twitter.